My name is Alice Andam. I am the president of the Philippine Nurses Association of Metropolitan DC, Inc. The membership of our organization comes from the Metropolitan Washington, DC, including Northern Virginia.

The more than 200 members of our organization are unanimously in favor for the removal of the CGFNS qualifying exam for the nursing boards. We were also in favor and instrumental of the removal of the same requirement in Washington, DC, that was implemented in the year 2000.

As in Washington, DC, the removal of the CGFNS will allow more nurses to take the NCLEX in the state of Virginia which will alleviate the current nursing shortage and at the same time improve the current unemployment situation of our state economy.

The CGFNS does not measure the compentency of the nurse in the practice of the nursing profession but instead it takes some time and resources that discourages these nurses to practice in the state of Virginia. There are already 22 states that do not require the CGFNS exam.

Sincerly,

Alice N. Andam

President, PNAMDC, Inc.